Did Bush Domestic Spy Program Eavesdrop On American Journalists?

[Mark E. Smith]

Americablog.com 12/19

I had an interesting discussion this morning with DC political consultant Marc Laitin. We both came to the conclusion that it sounds like Bush's super-secret illegal domestic spying program may be targeting US journalists and that may be why Bush never got it cleared by the court and is worried about it coming forward now.

Think about it.

1) Bush had the authority to go to the court AFTER THE SURVEILLANCE and RETROACTIVELY get the warrant to do surveillance he'd already done. He didn't. The only reason I can come up with for why Bush would NOT go to the court after the fact is because he thought the court would slap him down. The court's greatest concern would likely be spying on US citizens, and an even greater concern would be spying on either members of Congress or the American media. If Bush were spying on American media, he might just lose his retroactive warrant.

2) Bush says that there were only Americans making phone calls to people with known Al Qaeda ties. That probably knocks out members of Congress, but it very much sounds like US journalists. Who else, other than terror cells, would be talking on a regular basis with people who might have ties to terrorism? American journalists working on stories.

It could even include US journalists talking to their bureaus abroad. Read again who Bush said the program is targeting (if you believe him):

"..intercept the international communications of people with known links to Al-Qaida and related
terrorist organizations."

What's a "known link?" Does a journalist who has contacts onside Al Qaeda have a "known link" to Al Qaeda? Well sure he does, he absolutely has links/contacts with Al Qaeda.

3) Bush says that revealing the details of his spy program would tell Al Qaeda what we were doing and stop the program from being effective. Again, journalists. Al Qaeda already knows we're monitoring phone calls and emails, we've been doing that for eyars. They also know that the Patriot Act lets Bush spy on Americans (with appropriate court orders). So what about the revelation of this domestic spying program could possibly tip off Al Qaeda to something they already know we're doing? There has to be a new wrinkle to the program, something Al Qaeda never thought we'd do. Spy on US journalists.

More at:

http://www.americablog.blogspot.com/2005/12/did-bush-domestic-spy-program.html

Can't wait for the Senate investigations ...

[CornField]

1. If you combine this line of thinking with the 'journalists' on the payroll

You can understand how the White House would learn which reporters had such "known links" (it isn't always the one on the article byline)

[Bob3]

2. One thing per point two

I would guess their definition of people with "known Al Qaeda ties" is probably a lot broader than any sane person's would be. And lord alone knows what they mean by "known links" - hell you make a speech against *'s mess in Iraq you are one with the terrorists in their eyes so there's another description so wide you could drive a truck through it -

If it all comes out - I'm willing to bet that these illegal taps were use to listen in on not only Journalists but domestic and foreign political opponents of the Iraq war, like say Cindy Sheehan and Michael Moore and Kerry and Dean.

[AlinPA]

3. I ask whether they were spying on Democrats for the election. I would

not be surprised if they did.

[Village Idiot]

4. I wonder why people aren't making the OBVIOUS connection?

Domestic Surveillance - WHO was being surveilled, and what did it have to do with the 2004 election?

Wake UP folks!!!

[earthside]

5. Of course ...

The HUGE problem with unsupervised, unchecked, unregulated snooping by the government is that it is ALWAYS abused.

Franklin and Jefferson and Washington and the whole founding crew figured this out over 200 years ago -- that's why the Fourth Amendment was written down in permanent ink.

Journalists were undoubtedly wire tapped and, indeed, one can be certain that political opponents of the Bush regime were spied upon. Otherwise, what explains Bush's attack, attack, attack strategy here? He cannot let the list of snoopees names ever come out.

Now is the time for progressives to tell the establishment, inside the beltway, Democrats that the 'impeachment' word must be used!

If we hear Biden or Clinton start making excuses for this criminal behavior on the part of the Idiot-in-Chief, then, well ... we really all might as well give up and accept our fascist fate.

[EC]

6. Wasn't the Quakers on that list? ..n/t

[gratuitous]

7. And under this corrupt regime

How do you suppose we'll ever know? They're quite good at investigating themselves and concluding that they've done nothing wrong.

[underpants]

8. I just assumed that it targeted pol. opponents and the Kerry campaign

:shrug: